c^flbEiwMiuill 

11 


The    Value   of   English 


sidered  first  in  these  observations.  The  relation  between  it  and  written  English  is  so  in- 
timate that  it  may  be  said  that  a  good  conversationalist  will  be  a  good  writer — except 
possibly  as  to  the  mechanical  product— while  the  converse  is  hardly  possible.  A  man 
who  uses  slovenly  English  with  his  intimates  will  almost  necessarily  do  so  with  others  as 
well,  so  that  the  habit  of  correct  speech  needs  to  be  practiced  socially  as  well  as  pro- 
fessionally, and  everyone  concedes  its  value  professionally. 

A  man  who  cannot  impress  his  subordinates  with  confidence  in  his  ability  will  not 
be  successful,  hence  the  man  of  ready,  concise  and  correct  speech  has  infinitely  the  ad- 
vantage over  one  who  is  not  so  equipped.  This  fact  is  shown  by  the  many  men  who  suc- 
ceed simply  by  "making  a  bluff."  It  must  not  be  inferred  from  this  that  the  practice  of 
bluffing  is  in  any  sense  advocated;  what  is  desirable  is  the  readiness  of  speech  which 
it  requires. 

A  man  who  cannot  convince  his  brother  engineers  of  the  truth  of  his  ideas  will 
stand  small  chance  of  succeeding  with  them,  unless  his  ideas  are  so  evidently  worthy  as 
to  win  without  controversy.  Even  then,  however,  there  is  the  force  of  conservatism 
which  usually  must  be  overcome,  and  that  can  be  done  most  easily  by  a  fluent  use  of  the 
English  language.  The  writer  has  often  seen  engineers  who  are  really  brilliant  in  inven- 
tion and  mechanical  ingenuity,  completely  thrown  off  the  track  by  a  good  talker.  How 
few  engineers,  too,  can  acquit  themselves  well  before  an  audience  of  other  engineers.  It 
is  to  be  noted  that  those  who  make  the  best  appearance  under  such  circumstances  are  al- 
most invariably  the  successful  ones,  for  some  reason  or  other. 

But  altogether  the  hardest  position  in  which  an  engineer  can  be  placed  is  before  a 
board  of  directors  who  are  inquiring  into  the  causes  of  an  underestimate,  or  making  some 
similar  query.  Then,  if  ever,  the  engineer  needs  a  fund  of  ready,  convincing  English.  He 
must  be  accurate  and  concise.  Shrewd,  keen  business  men,  who  are  accustomed  to  judg- 
ing character  by  speech  and  action  and  appearance,  and  who  furnish  the  funds  for  the  en- 
gineer to  spend,  are  the  hardest  to  deal  with,  but  make  the  best  of  friends  if  properly 
handled.  When  a  man  is  in  the  wrong  is  no  time  to  "bluff,"  but  when  he  is  right  and 
the  business  man  does  not  agree  with  him,  then  is  the  time  when  the  best  English  is  of 
most  value. 

Turning  now  to  written  speech,  it  is  evident  that  many  of  the  conditions  referred  to 
above  must  often  be  met  by  written  communications. 

A  man's  merely  social  correspondence  does  not  often  come  in  evidence;  but  it  may 
do  so,  and  therefore  it  should  always  be  carefully  prepared.  How  few  men — engineers 
and  others  as  well— can  write  a  good  business  letter.  There  is  a  feeling  among  most  people 
that  a  letter  of  application  for  a  position  does  little  good,  as  it  is  usually  "placed  on  file 
for  future  reference."  The  writer  thinks  it  is  very  often  the  fault  of  the  letter  itself. 
Personally  he  believes  thoroughly  in  letters  of  application,  and  almost  invariably  exacts 
one  from  each  applicant.  If  the  spelling  is  correct  and  the  wording  good,  it  is  a  fair  in- 
dication that  the  man  will  be  painstaking  in  his  work  as  well  as  in  his  letter  writing. 
There  is  every  opportunity  to  show  originality  in  letters,  and  the  man  who  can  catch  the 
attention  of  a  busy  executive  engineer  or  business  man  by  a  letter  of  application  is  apt  to 
have  that  letter  answered  immediately;  at  any  rate  his  communication  will  be  left  in  a 
conspicuous  place  for  ready  reference. 

The  preparation  of  daily  reports  is  usually  a  bugbear  to  the  young  engineer,  but 
within  a  month  one  young  man  of  the  writer's  acquaintance  has  had  his  salary  increased 
over  $100  a  year  solely  on  account  of  the  kind  of  daily  report  he  turned  in.  It  is  neat, 
well  tabulated,  concisely  stated,  with  the  important  points  clearly  brought  out,  and  saves 
many  minutes  a  day  for  the  persons  through  whose  hands  his  reports  pass.  Another 
young  engineer  was  transferred  from  his  position  as  building  superintendent,  to  the  office 
as  principal  assistant  in  charge  of  reports,  records  of  costs,  etc., — ten  times  the  magnitude 
of  his  former  job,  and  a  position  in  which  he  would  gain  information  of  inestimable  value, 
—very  largely  because  of  the  completeness  and  succinctness  of  his  monthly  reports.  They 
gave  more  information  on  a  single  page  of  letter  paper,  and  in  a  more  legible  form,  than 
was  contained  on  ten  pages  of  some  other  reports. 

The  preparation  of  a  specification  is  a  work  of  art.  The  lawyer  draws  his  contract, 
based  upon  it;  the  contractor  prepares  his  bid  by  it;  and  the  work  is  carried  on  and  com- 
pleted under  its  interpretation.  The  writer  has  been  called  upon  to  interpret  specifications 
which  were  entirely  incomprehensible  because  of  want  of  punctuation  and  improper  sen- 
tence construction.  One  branch  of  the  United  States  government  was  very  harshly  criti- 
cised not  long  since,  both  editorially  and  by  correspondents  in  engineering  periodicals,  be- 
cause of  faults  in  the  specifications  prepared  by  it.  The  fault  was  not  overconciseness 


To  the  Practicing  Engineer 


UNIVERSITY 

OR  Nib. 


either.  In  one  case  which  came  under  the  writer's  observation  within  a  few  months,  a 
company  was  obliged  to  pay  a  stubborn  contractor  a  large  sum  of  money,  because  of  the 
use  of  a  single  wrong  word  by  an  engineer  in  a  specification.  A  considerable  time  can  be 
spent  profitably  on  the  language  of  specifications  for  important  works,  and  much  atten- 
tion and  much  space  are  being  given  to  this  point  in  several  engineering  periodicals  at  the 
present  time.  Several  papers  relating  solely  to  this  subject  have  also  been  presented  be- 
fore engineering  societies.  Besides  the  usual  faults  of  wrong  tenses,  omission  of  sub- 
jects, verbs,  etc.,  the  larger  faults  of  looseness  of  language  leading  to  ambiguity  or  false 
interpretation,  are  very  often  encountered. 

IV 

[From  a  construction  engineer  in  a  latge  western  city.] 

The  training  an  engineer  needs  most  is  in  logic.  The  beauties  of  a  figure  of  speech 
or  of  fanciful  description  may  be  appreciated  but  never  imitated  by  an  engineer.  His 
work  consists  in  stating  clearly,  in  the  form  of  a  contract  or  specification,  what  he  wish- 
es done,  or  in  describing  a  piece  of  construction  or  design  for  the  benefit  of  his  fellows,  or 
in  advocating  the  merits  of  a  particular  design  before  a  board  or  commissioner.  In  all  of 
these  cases  clear,  precise  statement  of  fact,  together  with  a  logical  exposition  of  the  reason- 
ing process  leading  up  to  his  conclusions,  are  leading  requisites  for  successful  work. 
If  he  happens  to  be  advocating  a  particular  design  he  will  frequently  have  to  explain 
technical  points  in  a  convincing  manner  to  men  totally  unfamiliar  with  engineering  science. 
He  must  then,  for  the  time  being,  lay  aside  his  technical  vocabulary  and  in  the  fewest 
and  clearest  words  possible,  lest  he  become  tedious,  explain  his  principle  from  the  ground 
up.  He  will  occasionally  be  confronted  by  another  engineer  with  a  rival  design,  and  must 
then  engage  in  a  joint  debate.  Here  he  will  need  all  his  powers,  and  a  training  in  clear 
and  logical  thinking  and  in  the  expression  of  the  basic  engineering  principles  in  plain. 
untechnical,  Anglo-Saxon  words,  will  prove  invaluable  to  him.  He  must  learn  to  avoid 
generalities  and  bring  out  the  definite,  concrete  facts  at  the  root  of  the  matter,  and  avoid 
the  loose  and  dangerous  methods  of  reasoning  by  analogy. 

When  a  man  first  leaves  college  he  does  not  use  his  English  training.  He  can 
rise  as  a  draftsman,  inspector,  or  instrument  man  to  a  salary  of  $5.00  per  day  without 
needing  it.  But  as  he  goes  above  this  limit  and  takes  up  consulting  work,  administra- 
tive work,  or  the  commercial  side  of  engineering,  his  English  training  will  become  in- 
creasingly useful.  His  engineering  ability  depends  largely  on  his  mathematical  training 
and  his  experience,  but  his  engineering  reputation  depends  to  a  greater  degree  on  his 
ability  to  handle  English  properly  in  technical  papers,  or  to  convince  laymen  of  the 
soundness  of  his  views. 


[From  an  electrical  mining  engineer .  ] 

As  I  remembet ,  one  of  the  greatest  bores  of  my  college  course  was  a  course  in  Eng- 
lish, a  two  hour  course,  which  at  that  time  was  the  only  one  that  was  required.  I  could 
not  understand  at  the  time  why  there  should  be  this  requirement  in  English  for  graduation 
from  the  Engineering  Department,  and  consequently  skimmed  over  it  with  as  little  work 
and  thought  as  possible.  I  can  remember,  however,  when  a  year  or  two  after  my  gradu- 
ation I  heard  that  the  course  had  been  increased  to  four  hours,  I  thought  to  myself 
that  it  was  a  good  thing  and  that  the  requirement  should  really  be  more.  These  courses 
should  be  adapted  to  strictly  engineering  work  and  should  not  consist  of  writing  a 
series  of  compositions  on  "Spring,"  "Flowers,"  and  "The  Blue  Sky  Overhead".  These 
courses  should  require  the  writing  of  specifications  covering  a  wide  field  of  engineering 
work,  and  the  making  of  reports  on  the  condition  of  buildings,  power  plants,  and  all  kinds 
of  machinery,  such  as  a  capitalist  who  is  a  prospective  buyer  might  ask  an  engineer  to 
draw  up.  It  would  be  well  to  include  practice  in  making  out  forms  which  could  be  used 
for  daily,  weekly  and  monthly  reports  in  connection  with  power  plants,  building  operations, 
and  construction  work  of  all  kinds.  A  little  practice  in  writing  business  letters  would 
help.  1  don't  want  you  to  understand  by  this  that  my  idea  of  these  courses  is  to  confine 
them  entirely  to  writing.  A  lot  of  practice  in  the  use  of  words  to  express  thought  is  really 
the  most  important  thing.  To  be  able  to  express  one's  thoughts,  using  no  superfluous 
vords  and  to  be  able  to  transfer  what  is  in  your  mind  tc  the  mind  of  your  auditor,  in  a 
clear,  precise  manner,  is  surely  an  accomplishment  to  strive  for. 


EXCHANGE 


B  93  6" 


CONTRIBUTIONS 

EDITED  BY  FRED  NEWTON  SCOTT,  PH.D. 
Professor  of  Rhetoric  in  the  University  of  Michigan 


'ALUE  OF  ENGLISH  TO 


-NN  ARBOR,   MIC 

LIBRARY  PRINTING  PLAJ 


CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  RHETORICAL  THEORY 

EDITED  BY   FRED  NEWTON  SCOTT,  PH.D. 
Professor  of  Rhetoric  in  the  University  of  Michigan 


VII 


THE  VALUE  OF  ENGLISH  TO  THE  PRACTICING  ENGINEER 


ANN   ARBOR,   AMCH. 

LIBRARY  PRINTING  PLANT 
1906 


PREFACE 


The  letters  contained  in  this  number  of  Contributions  were  recently  published  by 
the  University  of  Michigan  for  disttibution  among  the  students  of  the  Department  of  En- 
gineering. Having  served  their  original  purpose  of  stimulating  interest  in  the  study  of 
English  Composition,  they  are  now  reprinted  as  a  document  in  rhetorical  theory.  Regard- 
ed from  this  point  of  vit-w  their  interest  and  value  lies  in  the  fact  that  they  are  the  frank 
opinions  of  men  who  are  accustomed  to  regard  their  mother-tongue  not  as  a  means  of 
amusement  or  self-gratification,  but  as  an  instrument  for  directing  the  behavior  of  their 
fellow-men.  They  thus  furnish  data,  so  far  as  they  go,  for  solving  the  most  fundamental 
of  rhetorical  problems. 

The  original  purpose  for  which  the  letters  were  obtained,  and  the  mode  of  obtaining 
them,  are  explained  by  Mr.  Breitenbach  in  his  introductory  note. — THE  EDITOR. 


239404 


THE   VALUE    OF    ENGLISH    TO 
THE  PRACTICING    ENGINEER 


[In  this  pamphlet  will  be  found  the  opinions  of  a  number  of  practicing  engineers  upon 
the  value  of  a  training  in  English.-  Originally  written  as  letters  to  students  of  the 
Engineering  Department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  these  opinions  are  here  reproduc- 
ed for  the  benefit  of  other  students  and  of  all  who  are  interested  in  problems  of  education. 

The  letters  were  the  outcome  of  a  discussion  which  arose  some  months  ago  in  a 
class  of  junior  engineers.  The  question  under  consideration  was  the  comparative  value 
of  pure  and  applied  science  in  the  engineering  curriculum.  As  was  natural  perhaps,  every 
member  of  the  class  upheld  the  superior  value  of  applied  science,  on  the  ground  that  it 
was  more  "practical."  This  led  to  an  inquiry  into  the  character  of  a  liberal  education 
and  the  relation  of  science  and  culture,  and  in  this  connection  the  following  questions 
arose:  1.  Is  the  study  of  English  part  of  the  cultural  or  of  the  practical  training  of  the 
engineer?  2.  Should  essay-subjects  for  engineering  students  be  drawn  from  the 
students'  general  interests,  or  be  confined  to  the  scientific  and  technical  field?  Incidental- 
ly it  appeared  that  some  members  of  the  class  were  in  doubt  whether  training  in  English 
was  of  special  value  to  engineers. 

In  order  to  answer  these  questions  and  allay  the  doubt  which  had  arisen,  it  seemed 
wise  to  refer  the  points  at  issue  to  practicing  engineers  whose  experience  would  qualify 
them  to  speak  with  authority. 

Accordingly  a  list  was  made  of  about  eighty  successful  engineers  who  since  leaving 
the  University  had  each  had  from  five  to  ten  years  of  professional  activity.  The  students 
were  then  required  to  address  letters  to  these  graduates  asking  them: 

1.  To  express  their  opinions  on  the  value  of  training  in    English  to  the  practicing 
engineer. 

2.  To  cite  any  cases  in  which  such  training  had  been  of  special  value  to  them. 

3.  To  offer  suggestions,  drawn  from  their  experience,  for  the  course  in  English  in 
the  Engineering  Department. 

To  these  letters  about  one  half  of  the  number  addressed  were  kind  enough  to  reply 
—a  much  larger  proportion  than  was  anticipated,  since  engineers  do  not,  as  a  rule,  have 
time  for  what  may  be  called  literary  correspondence.  From  these  replies  the  following 
material  has  been  selected. 

Taking  the  letters  as  a  whole  and  examining  them  with  reference  to  the  first  of  the 
questions  above,  the  most  striking  feature  of  them  is  their  unanimity.  All  the  writers 
agree  that  training,  in  English  is  one  of  the  engineer's  most  valuable  assets.  Many  advise 
an  increase  in  the  required  work  in  this  subject,  and  several  go  so  far  as  to  recommend  a 
year  in  the  Literary  Department. 

The  replies  to  the  second  question  mention  as  the  chief  application  of  the  engineer's 
training  in  English,  the  writing  of  reports,  specifications,  contracts,  etc.  Several  cases 
are  cited  of  engineers  who  have  made  writing  their  life-work,  that  is,  who  have 
gone  into  catalogue-writing,  technical  journalism,  and  the  like. 

In  the  case  of  the  third  question  the  replies  are  less  uniform,  but  all  lay  stress  upon 


The  Value   of  English 


the  need  of  long-continued  practice  under  guidance  and  criticism.  The  kind  of  essay- 
subjects  does  not  appear  to  be  of  much  importance  provided  the  topics  are  such  as  inter- 
est the  student. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  of  so  many  interesting  and  valuable  letters  only  a  few 
could  be  published.  Those  that  are  reproduced,  however,  are  representative  and  fairly 
indicate  the  consensus  of  opinion.  It  remains  to  acknowledge  the  courtesy  of  those  who 
have  contributed  to  the  success  of  the  plan  by  devoting  to  the  subject  the  time  and  thought 
of  busy  men.  They  may  be  sure  that  the  spirit  of  earnest  unselfishness  in  which  the 
letters  were  written  will  find  a  quick  response  in  the  hearts  of  the  younger  generation. 

H.  P.  BREITENBACH, 
Instructor  in  Rhetoric.] 

1 

[From  the  assistant  to  the  chief  engineer  of  an  important  construction  company.} 

1  have  your  favor  of  December  18th,  and  am  delighted  to  have  the  opportunity  of 
discussing  with  you  the  need  of  a  thorough  training  in  English  for  a  member  of  the  en- 
gineering profession. 

In  the  first  place,  one  must  keep  in  mind  that  an  engineer  should  be,  above  all 
other  things,  a  man— well-balanced,  broad-minded  and  capable  of  taking  a  place  in  the 
community  that  will  reflect  credit  on  his  profession.  He  should  be  fitted  to  discharge  the 
duties  imposed  upon  all  men  who  have  special  endowments  or  exceptional  opportunity. 
The  broadest  and  most  thorough  general  culture  that  one  can  have  is  not  too  good  for  a 
man  who  is  to  be  an  active  member  of  society  or  a  representative  citizen  in  the  state. 

1  do  not  know  that  this  consideration  is  especially  applicable  to  your  question  any 
more  than  a  similar  query  with  reference  to  any  other  branch  of  what  may  be  properly 
termed  "culture  study";  1  do  know  that  English  is  at  least  as  important  as  the  study  of 
any  of  the  other  humanities. 

When  one  comes  to  consider  the  proposition  from  a  slightly  more  sejiish  and  more  nar- 
row point  of  view,  the  work  in  English  becomes  of  paramount  importance,  since  the  intel- 
ligent expression  of  ideas  will  often  do  more  to  put  one  in  touch  with  his  working  associ- 
ates than  having  the  ideas  themselves.  1  do  not  mean  by  this  that  "running  the  bluff" 
is  conducive  to  prominent  or  enviable  success,  but  that  a  good  appearance  and  the  ability 
to  show  people  that  one  has  ideas  in  his  mind  will  go  far  towards  gaining  respect 
and  confidence. 

1  cannot  say  a  great  deal  about  the  specific  uses  of  the  proper  English  training  by 
an  engineer,  except  to  call  to  your  attention  the  fact  that  most  of  the  "big"  work  of  the 
engineer  is  done  with  the  typewriter  rather  than  with  the  slide-rule  or  T-square;  in 
other  words,  you  will  probably  find  after  graduation  that  highly  technical  work,  while  ab- 
solutely essential,  is  not  the  work  which  alone  will  command  the  highest  places  profes- 
sionally. From  this  it  results  that  accuracy  and  clearness  in  expression,  the  ability  to 
differentiate  between  expressions  which  will  irritate  and  those  which  will  stimulate — in 
short,  the  ability  to  convey  to  another  man  in  cold  type  the  exact  impression  which  you 
wish  him  to  receive,  is  a  prime  requisite.  Loosely-worded  specifications  and  in- 
accurate contracts  are  perhaps  the  most  fruitful  source  of  contention,  difficulty,  and  ex- 
pense in  work  where  contracts  are  involved;  and  you  will  most  certainly  find  that  your 
official  chiefs  will  expect  any  reports  which  you  make  for  them  to  be  such  that  they  may 
get  at  the  meat  of  the  subject  reported  without  having  to  make  a  large  allowance  for 
your  personal  equation  in  the  matter  of  diction. 

I  cannot  give  any  concrete  instances  of  what  you  wish,  for  the  reason  that  exper- 
ience has  indicated  that  loose,  inelegant,  and  indefinite  English  is,  among  engineers,  de- 
cidedly the  rule— this,  doubtless,  in  consequence  of  the  fact  that  we  are  required  less  fre- 
quently than  clerics,  doctors,  and  barristers  to  present  an  academic  education  as  a  pre- 
liminary to  our  more  narrowly  technical  work. 

The  demands  of  office  routine  prevent  me  from  replying  as  fully  as  1  should  like  to 
your  request  for  suggestions  as  to  the  preparation  in  English  to  be  given  to  engineers.  I 
will  say  briefly,  however,  that  at  least  one  hour  a  day  each  term  throughout  the  whole 
course  would  be  not  at  all  unprofitable,  most  of  that  time  to  be  spent  in  the  study  of 
literary  English,  as  distinguished  from  the  class  of  work  which  was  given  in  our  depart- 
ment in  my  undergraduate  days,  and  which  I  believe  is  given  largely  at  the  present  time. 


To  the  Practicing  Engineer 


Very  few  professional  men  have  anything  like  a  correct  literary  taste,  a  thing  which  is  of 
more  vital  significance  than  you  perhaps  feel  now.  My  personal  experience  was  that 
after  leaving  the  atmosphere  of  refinement  and  culture  of  Ann  Arbor  and  getting  into  the 
decidedly  material  ten  or  twelve  hours  a  day  of  factory  life,  I  needed  something  to  fall 
back  upon  for  mental  and  moral  stimulus.  Social  recreation  is  seldom  offered  to  a  young 
fellow  just  out  of  college  in  quite  the  same  way  that  you  find  it  in  our  little  Washtenaw 
town:  and  good  reading,  music,  and  meritorious  plays  will  go  a  long  way  toward  filling  up 
the  void.  While  this  last  suggestion  is  generally  applicable  to  professional  men.  1  think 
it  applies  especially  to  the  case  of  engineers,  since  our  work  is  usually  stripped  ot  all  the 
more  subtle  influences  of  intimate  personal  association  which  are  so  essential,  especially 
to  younger  men. 

II 
[From  an  architect,  contractor,  and  inventor  in  a  latge  western  ctty.~\ 

1  wish  to  thank  you  for  writing  to  me  requesting  my  opinion  regarding  the  degree  of 
proficiency  in  the  use  of  English  needed  by  an  engineer. 

I  can  hardly  express  myself  in  sufficiently  strong  terms  regarding  such  need.  Eng- 
ineering of  today  does  not  mean  alone  drafting,  shop  work,  inspection  and  other 
duties  which  place  the  engineer  as  a  subordinate  under  other  officers.  The  engineer  of 
ambition  should  strive  to  be  in  charge  of  work,  and  especially  in  charge  of  its  commercial 
end.  In  my  mind,  the  really  successful  engineer  is  the  one  who  stands  at  the  head  of  an 
industrial  organization,  who  matures  and  leaves  the  subordinate  duties  to  others.  In 
such  a  managing  position  a  thorough  knowledge  of  English  is  an  absolute  requisite.  The 
engineer  in  this  position  is  called  upon  to  formulate  propositions  and  contracts.  His  cor- 
respondence becomes  one  of  the  very  large  essentials  of  his  duties.  A  perfect  command 
of  the  English  language  places  him  in  a  decidedly  superior  position. 

The  engineer  in  the  position  of  industrial  manager  should  control  the  advertisements, 
the  sales  department,  and  the  manufacturing  department.  In  other  words,  with  the  super- 
ior training  he  has  received  he  should  be  in  a  position  to  handle  every  branch  of  a  manu- 
facturing concern;  and  to  make  himself  fully  efficient  in  that  position,  a  thorough  know- 
ledge of  English  is  one  of  the  fundamental  requisites.  In  my  opinion,  therefore,  too  much 
stress  cannot  be  laid  upon  proper  training  m  this  respect. 

Personally,  I  feel  that  I  never  have  given  this  portion  of  my  college  education  suffi- 
cient attention.  While  at  the  University  1  never  realized  that  those  studies  which  are 
apparently  not  at  all  engineering  are  in  reality  fully  as  important  as  are  calculus,  mech- 
anics, drafting,  etc.  An  engineering  student  should  not  try  to  become  a  practical  man  at 
the  Uiii-retsitj,'.  He  has  forty  years  after  the  University  life  in  which  to  become  a  practical 
man.  but  he  has  only  four  years  in  which  to  become  a  thoroughly  theoretical  and  polished 
man. 

Give  me  therefore  at  all  times  the  graduate  student  with  a  sound  body,  a  good, 
clear  mind,  and  a  thorough  general  knowledge,  together  with  proper  proficiency  and  the 
fundamental  theory  underlying  all  engineering  principles.  With  such  a  student  in  hand,  the 
matter  of  making  him  a  practical  man  is  only  one  of  a  little  persistence  and  patience;  in 
the  end  he  will  be  by  far  the  most  successful  engineer. 

HI 
[From  a  consulting  ciiil  engineer .] 

The  following  observations  are  suggested  as  possible  lines  along  which  to  work  out 
some  courses  which  might  appeal  particularly  to  engineering  students.  They  have  been 
largely  suggested  by  my  personal  experience  since  graduation.  It  must  be  confessed  that 
they  are  open  to  the  criticism  of  being  almost  wholly  utilitarian,  and  of  possessing  but  little 
of  the  culture  value  which  English  work  is  supposed  to  have.  No  man,  be  he  engineer  or 
other,  can  afford  to  cut  himself  off  entirely  from  all  the  culture  studies  either  before  or 
after  graduation;  but  in  a  technical  course  looking  mainly  to  professional  training,  some 
excuse  can  be  found  for  purely  utilitarian  studies,  even  in  English. 

Instructors  in  English  insist  strongly  on  a  study  of  the  English  classics  as  models  of 
form  and  style  and  as  sources  from  which  a  broad,  general  culture  can  be  drawn.  They 
are  right,  and  no  man  can  afford  to  be  without  a  good  knowledge  of  the  classics  of  the 
language.  What  follows  is  intended  to  supplement  such  work  with  special  reference  to 
technical  lines. 

Language  is  both  oral  and  written.  While  conversational  English  may  not 
have  been  included  in  your  inquiry,  still  it  is  of  so  much  importance  that  it  will  be  con- 


The    Value   of   English 


sidered  first  in  these  observations.  The  relation  between  it  and  written  English  is  so  in- 
timate that  it  may  be  said  that  a  good  conversationalist  will  be  a  good  writer — except 
possibly  as  to  the  mechanical  product— while  the  converse  is  hardly  possible.  A  man 
who  uses  slovenly  English  with  his  intimates  will  almost  necessarily  do  so  with  others  as 
well,  so  that  the  habit  of  correct  speech  needs  to  be  practiced  socially  as  well  as  pro- 
fessionally, and  everyone  concedes  its  value  professionally. 

A  man  who  cannot  impress  his  subordinates  with  confidence  in  his  ability  will  not 
be  successful,  hence  the  man  of  ready,  concise  and  correct  speech  has  infinitely  the  ad- 
vantage over  one  who  is  not  so  equipped.  This  fact  is  shown  by  the  many  men  who  suc- 
ceed simply  by  "making  a  bluff."  It  must  not  be  inferred  from  this  that  the  practice  of 
bluffing  is  in  any  sense  advocated;  what  is  desirable  is  the  readiness  of  speech  which 
it  requires. 

A  man  who  cannot  convince  his  brother  engineers  of  the  truth  of  his  ideas  will 
stand  small  chance  of  succeeding  with  them,  unless  his  ideas  are  so  evidently  worthy  as 
to  win  without  controversy.  Even  then,  however,  there  is  the  force  of  conservatism 
which  usually  must  be  overcome,  and  that  can  be  done  most  easily  by  a  fluent  use  of  the 
English  language.  The  writer  has  often  seen  engineers  who  are  really  brilliant  in  inven- 
tion and  mechanical  ingenuity,  completely  thrown  off  the  track  by  a  good  talker.  How 
few  engineers,  too,  can  acquit  themselves  well  before  an  audience  of  other  engineers.  It 
is  to  be  noted  that  those  who  make  the  best  appearance  under  such  circumstances  are  al- 
most invariably  the  successful  ones,  for  some  reason  or  other. 

But  altogether  the  hardest  position  in  which  an  engineer  can  be  placed  is  before  a 
board  of  directors  who  are  inquiring  into  the  causes  of  an  underestimate,  or  making  some 
similar  query.  Then,  if  ever,  the  engineer  needs  a  fund  of  ready,  convincing  English.  He 
must  be  accurate  and  concise.  Shrewd,  keen  business  men,  who  are  accustomed  to  judg- 
ing character  by  speech  and  action  and  appearance,  and  who  furnish  the  funds  for  the  en- 
gineer to  spend,  are  the  hardest  to  deal  with,  but  make  the  best  of  friends  if  properly 
handled.  When  a  man  is  in  the  wrong  is  no  time  to  "bluff,"  but  when  he  is  right  and 
the  business  man  does  not  agree  with  him,  then  is  the  time  when  the  best  English  is  of 
most  value. 

Turning  now  to  written  speech,  it  is  evident  that  many  of  the  conditions  referred  to 
above  must  often  be  met  by  written  communications. 

A  man's  merely  social  correspondence  does  not  often  come  in  evidence;  but  it  may 
do  so,  and  therefore  it  should  always  be  carefully  prepared.  How  few  men — engineers 
and  others  as  well — can  write  a  good  business  letter.  There  is  a  feeling  among  most  people 
that  a  letter  of  application  for  a  position  does  little  good,  as  it  is  usually  "placed  on  file 
for  future  reference."  The  writer  thinks  it  is  very  often  the  fault  of  the  letter  itself. 
Personally  he  believes  thoroughly  in  letters  of  application,  and  almost  invariably  exacts 
one  from  each  applicant.  If  the  spelling  is  correct  and  the  wording  good,  it  is  a  fair  in- 
dication that  the  man  will  be  painstaking  in  his  work  as  well  as  in  his  letter  writing. 
There  is  every  opportunity  to  show  originality  in  letters,  and  the  man  who  can  catch  the 
attention  of  a  busy  executive  engineer  or  business  man  by  a  letter  of  application  is  apt  to 
have  that  letter  answered  immediately;  at  any  rate  his  communication  will  be  left  in  a 
conspicuous  place  for  ready  reference. 

The  preparation  of  daily  reports  is  usually  a  bugbear  to  the  young  engineer,  but 
within  a  month  one  young  man  of  the  writer's  acquaintance  has  had  his  salary  increased 
over  $100  a  year  solely  on  account  of  the  kind  of  daily  report  he  turned  in.  It  is  neat, 
well  tabulated,  concisely  stated,  with  the  important  points  clearly  brought  out,  and  saves 
many  minutes  a  day  for  the  persons  through  whose  hands  his  reports  pass.  Another 
young  engineer  was  transferred  from  his  position  as  building  superintendent,  to  the  office 
as  principal  assistant  in  charge  of  reports,  records  of  costs,  etc.,— ten  times  the  magnitude 
of  his  former  job,  and  a  position  in  which  he  would  gain  information  of  inestimable  value, 
—very  largely  because  of  the  completeness  and  succinctness  of  his  monthly  reports.  They 
gave  more  information  on  a  single  page  of  letter  paper,  and  in  a  more  legible  form,  than 
was  contained  on  ten  pages  of  some  other  reports. 

The  preparation  of  a  specification  is  a  work  of  art.  The  lawyer  draws  his  contract, 
based  upon  it;  the  contractor  prepares  his  bid  by  it;  and  the  work  is  carried  on  and  com- 
pleted under  its  interpretation.  The  writer  has  been  called  upon  to  interpret  specifications 
which  were  entirely  incomprehensible  because  of  want  of  punctuation  and  improper  sen- 
tence construction.  One  branch  of  the  United  States  government  was  very  harshly  criti- 
cised not  long  since,  both  editorially  and  by  correspondents  in  engineering  periodicals,  be- 
cause of  faults  in  the  specifications  prepared  by  it.  The  fault  was  not  overconciseness 


UNiVERSITY 

';.. 

To  the  Practicing  Engineer  5 

either.  In  one  case  which  came  under  the  writer's  observation  within  a  few  months,  a 
company  was  obliged  to  pay  a  stubborn  contractor  a  large  sum  of  money,  because  of  the 
use  of  a  single  wrong  word  by  an  engineer  in  a  specification.  A  considerable  time  can  be 
spent  profitably  on  the  language  of  specifications  for  important  works,  and  much  atten- 
tion and  much  space  are  being  given  to  this  point  in  several  engineering  periodicals  at  the 
present  time.  Several  papers  relating  solely  to  this  subject  have  also  been  presented  be- 
fore engineering  societies.  Besides  the  usual  faults  of  wrong  tenses,  omission  of  sub- 
jects, verbs,  etc.,  the  larger  faults  of  looseness  of  language  leading  to  ambiguity  or  false 
interpretation,  are  very  often  encountered. 

IV 
{From  a  construction  engineer  in  a  latge  western  city.~\ 

The  training  an  engineer  needs  most  is  in  logic.  The  beauties  of  a  figure  of  speech 
or  of  fanciful  description  may  be  appreciated  but  never  imitated  by  an  engineer.  His 
work  consists  in  stating  clearly,  in  the  form  of  a  contract  or  specification,  what  he  wish- 
es done,  or  in  describing  a  piece  of  construction  or  design  for  the  benefit  of  his  fellows,  or 
in  advocating  the  merits  of  a  particular  design  before  a  board  or  commissioner.  In  all  of 
these  cases  clear,  precise  statement  of  fact,  together  with  a  logical  exposition  of  the  reason- 
ing process  leading  up  to  his  conclusions,  are  leading  requisites  for  successful  work. 
If  he  happens  to  be  advocating  a  particular  design  he  will  frequently  have  to  explain 
technical  points  in  a  convincing  manner  to  men  totally  unfamiliar  with  engineering  science. 
He  must  then,  for  the  time  being,  lay  aside  his  technical  vocabulary  and  in  the  fewest 
and  clearest  words  possible,  lest  he  become  tedious,  explain  his  principle  from  the  ground 
up.  He  will  occasionally  be  confronted  by  another  engineer  with  a  rival  design,  and  must 
then  engage  in  a  joint  debate.  Here  he  will  need  all  his  powers,  and  a  training  in  clear 
and  logical  thinking  and  in  the  expression  of  the  basic  engineering  principles  in  plain, 
iintechnical.  Anglo-Saxon  words,  will  prove  invaluable  to  him.  He  must  learn  to  avoid 
generalities  and  bring  out  the  definite,  concrete  facts  at  the  root  of  the  matter,  and  avoid 
the  loose  and  dangerous  methods  of  reasoning  by  analogy. 

When  a  man  first  leaves  college  he  does  not  use  his  English  training.  He  can 
rise  as  a  draftsman,  inspector,  or  instrument  man  to  a  salary  of  $5.00  per  day  without 
needing  it.  But  as  he  goes  above  this  limit  and  takes  up  consulting  work,  administra- 
tive work,  or  the  commercial  side  of  engineering,  his  English  training  will  become  in- 
creasingly useful.  His  engineering  ability  depends  largely  on  his  mathematical  training 
and  his  experience,  but  his  engineering  reputation  depends  to  a  greater  degree  on  his 
ability  to  handle  English  properly  in  technical  papers,  or  to  convince  laymen  of  the 
soundness  of  his  views. 


{From  an  electrical  mining  engineer. ~\ 

As  I  remember,  one  of  the  greatest  bores  of  my  college  course  was  a  course  in  Eng- 
lish, a  two  hour  course,  which  at  that  time  was  the  only  one  that  was  required.  I  could 
not  understand  at  the  time  why  there  should  be  this  requirement  in  English  for  graduation 
from  the  Engineering  Department,  and  consequently  skimmed  over  it  with  as  little  work 
and  thought  as  possible.  I  can  remember,  however,  when  a  year  or  two  after  my  gradu- 
ation I  heard  that  the  course  had  been  increased  to  four  hours,  I  thought  to  myself 
that  it  was  a  good  thing  and  that  the  requirement  should  really  be  more.  These  courses 
should  be  adapted  to  strictly  engineering  work  and  should  not  consist  of  writing  a 
series  of  compositions  on  "Spring,"  ''Flowers."  and  "The  Blue  Sky  Overhead".  These 
courses  should  require  the  writing  of  specifications  covering  a  wide  field  of  engineering 
work,  and  the  making  of  reports  on  the  condition  of  buildings,  power  plants,  and  all  kinds 
of  machinery,  such  as  a  capitalist  who  is  a  prospective  buyer  might  ask  an  engineer  to 
draw  up.  It  would  be  well  to  include  practice  in  making  out  forms  which  could  be  used 
for  daily,  weekly  and  monthly  reports  in  connection  with  power  plants,  building  operations, 
and  construction  work  of  all  kinds.  A  little  practice  in  writing  business  letters  would 
help.  I  don't  want  you  to  understand  by  this  that  my  idea  of  these  courses  is  to  confine 
them  entirely  to  writing.  A  lot  of  practice  in  the  use  of  words  to  express  thought  is  really 
the  most  important  thing.  To  be  able  to  express  one's  thoughts,  using  no  superfluous 
vords  and  to  be  able  to  transfer  what  is  in  your  mind  tc  the  mind  of  your  auditor,  in  a 
clear,  precise  manner,  is  surely  an  accomplishment  to  strive  for. 


The   Value  of  English 


VI 
\_Fiom  a  U .  S.  assistant  engineer.] 

1.  English    has  been  of  more  value  to  me   in    thi    practice   of    engineering    than    any 
other  study. 

2.  Concrete  examples  wherein  I  have  been  helped  by  my    knowledge  of    English    can- 
not well  be  given;  English  has  always  been  present.     But  i  am  sure  it  has  been  useful  to 
me  in  securing  work  and  in  making  specifications,  reports,  etc. 

3.  An  engineer  cannot  have  too  much  preparation  in  English;  the  better  his  knowledge 
of  English  the  better  able  will  he  be  to  solve  the  problems  that  are  likely  to  confront    him. 
He  cannot  hope  to  get  this  preparation  in  college,  but  he  should  ma'ce  a  good  start  there. 

Engineering  is  an  exact  science  and  therefore  an  engineer  should  be  able  to  ex- 
press his  ideas,  orally  or  in  writing,  as  clearly  and  concisely  as  he  would  render  a  prob- 
lem in  mathematics.  Too  much  attention  cannot  be  given  to  composition  and  expression, 
especially  to  expression.  The  student  who  is  inclined  to  reading  can  acquire  these  in 
arge  measure  while  in  college,  and  will  continue  to  do  so  after  leaving  college. 

VII 

{From  a  consulting  engineer  in  a  large  western  cityJ\ 

A  good  knowledge  of  English  and  ability  to  use  it  is  of  great  value  to  the  practic- 
ing engineer.  This  is  particularly  true  of  the  engineer  in  the  higher  walks  of  the  pro- 
fession, as  he  must  be  able  to  describe  the  work  he  proposes  to  construct  clearly,  com- 
prehensively and  succinctly.  It  is  also  true  of  the  engineer  who  is  engaged  in  construct- 
ing the  work  so  described,  as  he  must  understand  thoroughly  the  description  by  which  he 
carries  on  his  work.  It  is  also  true  of  the  man  making  preliminary  investigations  or  sur- 
veys for  proposed  work,  as  he  must  furnish  the  employers  with  complete,  clear,  and  exact 
information  as  to  existing  conditions. 

1.  As  to  its  personal  value  to  me  in  my  practice,  I  will  say  that  it  has  enabled  me    to 
report  clearly  and  convincingly  on  my  plans  or  methods  for  proposed    work    so    that    my 
employers  have  agreed  to  these  plans  or  methods;  it  has  enabled  me   to    describe    clearly 
in  a  specification  the  material  and  workmanship  involved  in  my  work;  and  it  has  enabled 
me  to  tell  plainly  and  without  unnecessary  words  anything  regarding  the  work. 

2.  One  example  of  the  value  of  exact  knowledge  of  language    is    to    be  found    in    the 
specification  of  work.     Engineers  who  can  write  a  clear    and  full    specification  for   work 
without  redundancy  are  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule.'    The    plans  of  a    work  show 
all  lines,  parts  and  commonly  all  dimensions.     The  specifications  describe    materials    and 
workmanship,  and  often  the  terms  of  acceptance  and  payment.     It    is    evident  that  in  the 
specification  words  must  be  used  in  their  exact  meaning  and  with  true  value;    ambiguous 
words  and  phrases  will  cause  disputes  and  often  lawsuits,  redundancy  creates    confusion, 
and  involved  phrases  or  badly  arranged  paragraphs  lead  to  errors  or  omissions. 

Again,  an  engineer  who  appears  in  court  as  a  witness  should  have  a  full  knowl- 
edge and  quick  comprehension  of  the  meaning  of  words  that  he  may  give  clear  evidence 
and  that  he  may  comprehend  questions.  Without  such  knowledge  his  evidence  is  likely 
to  be  involved  and  contradictory. 

3.  The  answer  to  this  question,  I  think,  may  be  deduced  from  the  foregoing.  The  engineer 
should  be  logical,  deducing  clearly  and  reasoning  both  broadly  and  closely;  rhetorical,  in 
that  he    should  be    able  to  compose,  if  not  with  elegance,  at  least  plainly  and  with  good 
construction;  and  his  vocabulary  should  be  simple,  containing    words    of   clear  and  pos- 
itive meaning.    These  conditions  can  be  obtained  only  by  broad  reading  of  the  best  authors. 
Essays  and  fiction  are  both  to  be  included,  for  much  clearness  of  diction,  good  construction 
and  strong  reasoning  may  be  found  therein.     History,  biography  and  travel    are    all    ad- 
vantageous, giving  breadth  of  view.     Technical  works  contain  the  basis  of  his  knowledge, 
but  while  necessary  to  education,  are  not  always  beneficial  to  language. 

VIII 
[From  the  editor  of  a  technical  journal.  ~\ 

1.  "What  is  the  value  of  a  working  knowledge  of  English  to  an  engineer  or  other  worker 
in  science?"  You  might  just  as  well  ask  me,  What  is  the  value  of  a  sound  general  edu- 
cation? It  is  simply  invaluable.  Why?  Because  the  educated  man  is  adaptable  to  the 
thousand  and  one  emergencies  and  changes  of  circumstance  which  no  human  being  can 


To  the  Practicing  Engineer 


foresee,  because  his  mind  is  flexible,  because  he  can  grapple  with  new  conditions, 
because  his  mind  remains  young  longer  and  retains  far  beyond  the  average  the  power  to 
assimilate  new  ideas  and  grow.  A  working  knowledge  of  English,  that  is,  the  ability  to 
write  it  clearly  and  forcibly  in  correct  style  fit  to  print,  is  almost  as  necessary  to  an 
vr  as  is  a  good  handwriting  to  a  bookkeeper.  It  is  one  of  the  tools  of  his  trade.  He 
must  often  prepare  reports;  he  must  write  letters;  as  he  rises  in  his  profession  he  will  con- 
tribute to  the  engineering  press,  and  at  every  step  he  will  be  hampered  if  he  can't  write. 
The  ability  to  write  may  not  be  wholly  indispensable  in  the  early  drudgery  of  the  young 
graduate  fresh  from  college,  but  that  is  true  of  all  general  education:  the  need  of  it  be- 
comes more  imperious  and  painful  the  higher  you  rise  in  your  professional  work.  Rou- 
tine drudgery  is  the  common  lot  of  the  beginner  in  business,  in  the  law,  in  medicine, 
ever\  \vhere,  but  as  the  work  grows  more  responsible  and  difficult,  such  a  resource  as  a 
working  knowledge  of  English  comes  more  and  more  into  play. 

2.     "Wliat  preparation  in  English  will  best  fit  him  to  solve  the  problems  likely    to  con- 
front him?"     I  have  often  been  struck  by  the    excellent    command    of    English    that    the 

;e  educated  Briton  displays  in  his  letters  and  in  his  contributions  to  the  trade  press. 

In  this  respect  there  is  simply  no  comparison  between  the  Englishman  and  the    American. 

To  the  educated  Frenchman  the   statement    would  apply  even  more  forcibly,  because  al- 

ery  Frenchman  is  a  born  prose  writer.     Now,  why  do  the  English  excel  us?    Why 

so  rarely  find  among  our  university  graduates  in  the  United  States  so  much  as  a 
gleam  of  literary  gift?  Because  we  do  not  spend  enough  time  in  the  study  of  the  best  prose 
writers,  because  we  do  not  live  with  them  and  in  them,  because  we  do  not  write  enough. 
The  last  reason  is  most  important.  To  learn  to  write,  about  the  only  way  is  to  write  and 
wrire  and  write.  And  when  the  teacher  corrects,  let  him  beware  of  a  too  rigid  and 
pedantic  adherence  to  tr.e  rules  of  composition  lest  he  stifle  what  individuality  the  pupil 

ses.  Let  him  nurse  and  cherish  the  little  originality  that  he  may  perceive  in  and 
between  the  lines  of  the  composition,  and  not  choke  it  under  a  mass  of  rhetorical  rules. 
Teach  the  young  writer  to  dare  to  be  himself,  to  say  what '  he  thinks  in  his  own  way 
without  timid  fear  of  violating  some  rule- or  incurring  the  censure  of  some  old  fossil  who 
has  forgotten  that  he  ever  was  young.  Self-confidence  is  no  small  part  of  the  writer's 
outfit.  Then,  if  the  student  has  anything  to  say,  he  will  soon  learn  how  to  say  it.  The 
more  ideas  you  find  in  his  head  the  easier  will  be  your  task,  for  it  is  hard  to  teach  style 
to  anyone  who  lacks  an  active  and  thinking  brain.  After  all,  the  supreme  thing  in  writing 
is  something  worth  saying;  it  is  matter,  not  manner;  it  is  the  message  and  not  the  form. 
A  vigorous  thinker  is  not  likely  to  grope  about  long  for  the  most  effective  means  of  pre- 
senting his  thoughts;  he  is  not  apt  to  worry  about  his  style;  he  doesn't  have  to. 

1  close  with  the  statement  that  in  iny  own  bread-and-butter  work,  which  consists 
principally  of  business  correspondence,  my  high-school  drill  in  the  writing  of  English  is  of 
more  practical  use  to  me  than  all  the  other  things  I  was  ever  taught.  It  seems  to  me  that 
you  have  a  rare  chance  to  work  out  courses  of  the  greatest  practical  utility  to  your 
students,  to  say  nothing  of  the  happiness  you  will  give  them  if  you  once  kindle  their  love 
of  good  literature. 

IX 

[From  a  member  of  a  finn  of  advertising  engineers.] 

Replying  to  your  favor,  asking  me  to  name  concrete  instances  where  I  have  found 
my  knowledge  of  English  of  value  in  professional  work,  I  can  name  no  such  cases  as  I 
have  never  been  engaged  in  professional  work,  if  you  mean  by  that  actual  engineering  work. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  have  made  my  living  since  leaving  school  entirely  by  the  use 
of  English,  as,  except  for  a  brief  period  in  the  Westinghouse  shops,  I  have  been  solely 
engaged  in  engineering  journalism  and  advertising. 

Answering  your  second  question,  concerning  the  kind  of  preparation  in  this  subject 
that  I  would  consider  best  for  an  engineering  student,  I  would  advise  a  great  deal  more 
practice  in  writing  than  most  students  receive,  with  a  thorough  editing  or  correcting  of  the 
manuscript  by  instructors. 

Further  than  this,  I  would  suggest  that  writing  upon  live  subjects  would  be  much 
more  valuable  to  the  student  than  upon  uninteresting  or  meaningless  topics.  For  instance 
you  might  write  a  series  of  letters  with  the  object  of  selling  a  machine  by  correspondence 
or  with  the  object  of  inducing  a  public  board  to  take  some  particular  course  of  action  in 
regard  to  an  engineering  project. 

It  might  not  be  a  bad  exercise  also  for  engineering  students  to  visit  an  engineering 
work  and  then  write  an  article  upon  it.  designed  for  one  of  the  engineering  periodicals,  or 


The  Value   of  English 


to  write  a  paper  for  an  engineering  society  upon  some  original  work  going  on  in  the  shops 
or  class-rooms. 

In  any  case,  in  engineering  work  what  you  say  is  of  a  great  deal  more  importance 
than  how  you  say  it,  and  if  you  write  a  great  deal  on  a  subject  about  which  you  are  thor- 
oughly in  earnest,  you  will  be  able,  after  a  while,  to  state  your  thoughts  effectively. 

A  knowledge  of  spelling,  punctuation  and  the  grammar  of  the  English  language  is 
also  very  important,  as  I  find  that  most  engineering  graduates  are  surprisingly  deficient 
in  these  respects,  so  much  so  tliat  their  articles  and  letters  will  not  bear  printing  without 
a  considerable  amount  of  editing. 


[From  an  instructor  in  civil  engineering  formerly  connected  -with  the  U.  S.  Coast  Survey.] 

At  various  times  in  his  career,  an  engineer  will  require  a  knowledge  of  English  in 
order  to  prepare  reports  upon  work  performed  under  his  direction,  instructions  to  his  sub- 
ordinates for  the  execution  of  his  plans,  and  contracts  and  specifications  which  shall  state 
the  requirements  governing  some  proposed  work.  In  every  case  his  statement  should  be 
complete,  concise,  and  exact,  and  should  be  arranged  in  some  logical  order. 

As  an  example  in  my  own  experience,  I  can  state  that  one  of  my  first  duties  in 
actual  engineering  practice  was  to  compile  data  from  office  records  and  prepare  the  annual 
report  of  my  superior  officer  for  his  approval  and  transmission  to  the  proper  department 
authorities  at  Washington. 

In  preparation  at  the  University,  the  engineering  student  should  study  the  para- 
graph as  a  unit,  and  should  criticise  the  composition  of  articles  in  the  current  technical 
periodicals  and  books  from  this  standpoint.  He  should  also  familiarize  himself  with 
methods  of  analyzing  various  subjects  into  topics  and  sub-topics  to  such  an  extent  that 
each  of  the  ultimate  subdivisions  will  form  the  subject  of  a  unit  paragraph.  In  general,  it 
is  a  study  of  English  composition. 

XI 
[From  the  president  of  an  electrical  company.] 

1.  An  engineer  should  be  able  to  express  at  all  times,  in  clear  and  concise  lang- 
uage, the  meaning  that  he  wishes  to  convey.'     It  is  needless  to  say  that  he  should  be  able 
to  use  correct  grammar,  and  in  addition  to  the  usual   vocabulary  required  in  ordinary  con- 
versation, he  should  be  as  fully  posted  as  possible  on    strict    engineering  terms.       It    is 
frequently  embarassing  for  a  young  man  who  has  just  completed  an  engineering  course  of 
study  to  run  up  against  the  practical  engineer  and  be  unable  to    recognize    the    names    of 
some  of  the  common  elements  of  machinery  or  mechanical  appliances. 

2.  It    is    not    only    difficult  but  undesirable  to  give  concrete  examples  referring  to 
particular  persons,  but  it  is  not  at    all  unusual    to    run    across    men    in    the    engineering 
profession,  who  are  college  graduates,  who  are  unable  to  use  ordinarily  good  English,  and 
are  utterly  incapable  of  writing  a  good  business  letter. 

3.  As  stated  under  (1),  I    believe   that  all  college  graduates  whether  in  the  engi- 
neering department  or  not,  should  have  a  most  thorough  knowledge  of  the    English    lang- 
uage.    In  addition  to  these  regular  courses,    I  believe  that  the  student  in  the  engineering 
department  could,  with  advantage,  have  a  course  of  technical  language. 

XII 
[From  an  estimating  engineer  connected  with  an  eastern  company.'] 

To  one  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  engineering,  probably  the  first  use  for  any 
preparation  he  may  have  had  in  English  comes  in  the  form  of  correspondence.  Corres- 
pondence is  in  itself  a  fine  art,  especially  business  correspondence,  and  is  of  extreme 
importance.  Oftentimes  the  impression  created  by  a  letter  or  proposal  determines  the 
course  of  action  of  a  prospective  client.  In  many  of  the  large  contracting  and  manufactur- 
ing concerns  today  men  are  employed  to  do  nothing  but  attend  to  "kicks",  and  their  busi- 
ness is  to  keep  clients  satisfied  and  soothe  the  wounded  feelings  of  customers  who  think 
they  have  been  unjustly  treated.  To  be  a  good  correspondent  one  must  first  have  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  language  he  uses.  Every  engineer  who  attains  any  degree  of  suc- 
cess has  a  large  volume  of  correspondence,  and  by  laymen  who  do  not  meet  or  know  him 
his  ability  is  often  judged  by  his  letters.  1  recall  a  number  of  instances  where  the  prepar- 
ation which  1  received  in  English  was  of  great  value  tome,  and  some  also,  I  must  confess, 
where  my  lack  of  knowledge  handicapped  me  severely.  Probably  the  next  use  in  point  of 


To  the  Practicing  Engineer  9 

time  would  arise  from  affiliating  with  some  society.  Papers  on  subjects  of  interest  to 
men  in  certain  lines  of  work,  and  discussions  of  the  same,  are  prepared  and  presented, 
and  here  the  use  of  English  is  so  obvious  as  to  require  only  mention.  In  reports  on  work, 
such  as  tests,  examinations  of  structures,  machines,  excavations,  etc.,  often  the  amount 
of  work  done  and  the  efficiency  with  which  it  has  been  accomplished  can  only  be  indicated 
in  the  rinal  report,  and  this  being  the  only  means  which  the  engineer  in  charge  has  to 
show  his  employers  or  clients  what  he  has  done,  is  of  course  of  great  importance  to  him. 
Its  value  will  depend  largely  on  the  skill  with  which  it  has  been  put  together.  The  mass 
of  information  which  he  may  have  obtained  is  of  little  use  until  properly  arranged  and  ex- 
plained. 

In  answer  to  your  second  question  1  would  say  that  1  favor  a  course  decidedly 
practical.  It  should  consist  of  a  thorough  review  of  grammar,  a  subject  which  most 
students  take  up  at  a  time  when  they  are  unable  to  appreciate  its  value,  a  drill  in  the 
use  of  synonyms,  and  practice  in  the  construction  of  sentences  and  paragraphs.  It  should 
aim  to  teach  the  student  to  express  himself  clearly,  concisely  and  briefly.  Elaborate,  or- 
nate language,  embellished  with  flowery  figures  of  speech,  has  fallen  into  disuse  of  late. 
Once  called  eloquence,  it  is  now  commonly  known  as  ''hot  air."  In  the  profession  of 
engineering  it  is  excess  baggage,  and  in  the  keen  competition  of  the  age,  the  young  engi- 
neer should  travel  light. 


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